China nuclear plants a threat to Taiwan: NSB chief

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan is at risk of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents as more than a dozen nuclear power plants are located along coastal areas of the Chinese mainland, National Security Bureau (NSB, 國安局) head Tsai De-sheng (蔡得勝) said yesterday.

Fielding questions at the Legislative Yuan yesterday, the nation's top intelligence chief said nuclear power will become the primary source of energy for China in the future.

As the island of Taiwan is located close to the Chinese mainland, the NSB head said Taiwan is at high risk of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents if an incident similar to Japan's Fukushima incident in 2011 occurs on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

According to Tsai, a total of 17 sets of nuclear reactor units are currently in operation in China. The country is expected to expand and/or build another 81 units in the near future; more than a dozen of the 81 will be located in China's coastal provinces.

The closest one to Taiwan is the Fuqing Nuclear plant (福清廠) in Fujian Province (福建省), which is only 126 kilometers away from Taiwan's northern Hsinchu County, he said.

But the NSB head stressed that Taiwan has continued to beef up its responsiveness to nuclear accidents following the Fukushima incident and now Taiwan's nuclear safety is among the best in the world, placing No. 6 in a recent ranking.

Once a nuclear disaster or radioactive incident occurs, Tsai said, the NSB will escort national leaders and senior Cabinet members to a safe house as soon as possible. An annual drill has focused on having national heads evacuate in case of emergency, he added.

Tsai made the comments in response to lawmakers' questions on the government's nuclear disaster response measures during the Legislature's National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting yesterday.

Speaking during the same session, Defense Minister Yen Ming (嚴明) said the military will immediately relocate important military facilities and installations once a nuclear accident happens.

Abstract:Once a nuclear disaster or radioactive incident occurs, Tsai said, the NSB will escort national leaders and senior Cabinet members to a safe house as soon as possible. An annual drill has focused on having national heads evacuate in case of emergency, he added.

Tsai made the comments in response to lawmakers' questions on the government's nuclear disaster response measures during the Legislature's National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting yesterday.

Speaking during the same session, Defense Minister Yen Ming (嚴明) said the military will immediately relocate important military facilities and installations once a nuclear accident happens.

Comment:The responsibilities of NSB are supposed to be nationwide, not just limited to the protection of only national heads, NSB itself and the military. However, nothing has been mentioned about how to protect all Taiwanese. It is a pity that we haven't seen any proposal for the whole population in Taiwan mentioned in the meeting. How could the Legislature's National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee let the NSB go so easily?

It is apparent that none of Taiwanese can escape in time if a catastrophe like Fukushima disaster shall happen in the Fuqing Nuclear plant (福清廠) in Fujian Province (福建省), There is even nowhere for most Taiwanese to evacuate. When Taiwan becomes a desolate island, the national heads & the military shall mean nothing and There is no need for them to exist any more.

It is strongly recommended & highly expected that the Legislature's National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee shall push the NSB further for a comprehensive evacuation plan for all Taiwanese. If it is neither possible nor feasible for a practical evacuation plan to be implemented, and I would guess that is just the case in Taiwan, then Taiwanese government has the responsibility to deliver China government a strong message and request it to provide a practical plan ensuring the security of all their nuclear power plants, and in turn, the security of Taiwan & all Taiwanese.

It is apparent that China has always been and, is still seeking and trying very hard to have Taiwan integrated. However, Taiwanese would never be willing to be integrated by a state which is inferior in so many important aspects such as politics, human rights, social order & welfare,...... Under current situation, Taiwanese are fully justified and qualified to challenge China government for drastic change and significant improvement in the above mentioned aspects. Until the overall status in mainland China shall be improved to at least the equal level as in Taiwan, no attempt by China to integrate Taiwan will be accepted by the majority of Taiwanese. This requirement insisted is not only for the benefit of all Taiwanese, but also esteemed as a sacred historic mission assigned to the majority of Taiwanese, because they are also historically originated from mainland China.